Please review important changes to hazardous waste disposal costs.
What’s new
Research labs, core facilities, and instructional labs will no longer be recharged for routine waste disposal. Subsidizing waste disposal is a part of the University’s strategy to reduce unsafe quantities of hazardous materials storage, and is a key recommendation from UCOP’s MAQ of Hazardous Materials mandate.
How this will work
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The process for requesting hazardous waste pickups will remain the same.
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Chartstrings will still be required to generate waste labels but will not be charged.
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Non-routine waste includes high-cost items and larger waste services (e.g., bulk waste pickups, lab closure cleanouts). These waste categories will still be recharged.
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Consider the age, container integrity, and other factors when identifying chemicals that should be disposed of routinely.
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Routine biohazardous waste will not be charged to units.
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Waste labels will now be distributed in centralized storage rooms instead of labs. Labs should pre-label biohazardous waste being disposed of in centralized storage rooms.
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Reminder: Tie waste bags completely and close containers by interlocking 2 lids and snapping down when full or at 7 days’ accumulation. Follow instructions posted in centralized storage rooms and review the biohazardous waste section on the EH&S website for additional guidance.
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Routine mixed waste will not be charged to units.
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Unknown waste will not be charged to units.
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Identify potential hazard classes to the best of your ability on the unknowns questionnaire and request pickup via Hazardous Waste Program (HWP)
Additional considerations
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Dispose of bulk items for free during Chemical Tagging.
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The current Maximum Allowable Quantities (MAQ) chemical tagging project offers free bulk disposal of unwanted items. EH&S will pick up waste while your inventory is being newly tagged. HWP labels will not be required.
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After initial tagging is complete in your lab, request waste disposal pickups routinely via HWP to keep your waste disposal cost-free and to prevent excess waste buildup.
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Over the next year, EH&S will improve HWP and make more resources available to better support this process.
Thank you for your attention to these important changes and your continued commitment to safety.